Customer Reviews

Oishinbo: Fish, Sushi and Sashimi: A la Carte (Oishinbo: a la Carte)

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The long running manga "Oishinbo" (which means "The Gourmet") is a popular best-selling manga series published by Shogakukan which has been ongoing since 1983. The series have sold 1.2 million copies per volume annually and have sold more than 100 million volumes as of Jan. 2009.

Written by Tetsu Kariya and art by Akira Hanasaki, the series has won multiple awards and has had a successful anime TV series run from 1988 through 1992. And now the series is being released in the United States from Viz Media through their Viz Signature. Because there have been so many volumes, Viz has selected chapters from the popular manga and will separate each volume release by cuisine topic. The first volume in the US which was well-done and captured the heart of Japanese cuisine, the last (third) volume focused on ramen and gyoza and now the latest version of "Oishinbo A la Carte" focuses on fish, sushi and sashimi.

"Oishinbo" revolves around the employees of the newspaper Tozai News with its employees commissioned to create the "Ultimate Menu", a model meal that embodies the pinnacle of Japanese cuisine. Both Shiro Yamaoka and Yuko Kurita are in charge of the project and throughout each chapter, the series is broken down to several types of dishes or food related items and how each dish is created. Meanwhile, his father, who Shiro has had an estranged relationship for years after his mother's death, the world renown founder and director of prestigious Gourmet Club and Japanese pottery creator, Kaibara Yuzan heads the "Supreme Menu" for a rival newspaper. So, both Shiro and his father are known to butt heads many times. With Kaibara looking at his son as a person with a lacking knowledge of cuisine but Shiro, never to stand down against his father, proving that he knows more than his father thinks.

"OISHINBO A la Carte" is broken up in chapters that related to fish, sushi and sashimi. Here is what to expect from this volume (spoiler-less summaries):

1. FIRST COURSE - LIVE FISH - Both Shiro and Yuko are invited to the President of Dainichi Electron, Kuroda Morio's home and a lesson of eating live fish.
2. SECOND COURSE - THE RARE FISH - Kaibara Yuzan wants Shiro to prove his claim that chub mackerel sashimi is one of the best fish for sashimi.
3. THIRD COURSE - HOME OF THE SWEETFISH - Kyogoku-san is hospitalized and wishes for Shiro to make him sweetfish once he gets out of the hospital but in typical father son fashion, Kaibara and Shiro end up in another food battle of who can prepare the best sweetfish dish.
4. FOURTH COURSE - AN INTERESTING KARAAGE - Shiro tries to find a way to save an orphanage from closure through his preparation of the head of a tiger blowfish.
5. FIFTH COURSE - AN ILL-FLAVORED FISH - Shiro visits a restaurant that serves freshwater Goby Kanroni.
6. SIXTH COURSE - RIGHT EYED FLOUNDER AND LEFT-EYED FLOUNDER - Shiro tries to teach a young boy a lesson about life through fish via the right and left-eyed flounder.
7. SEVENTH COURSE - SALMON MATCH (PART ONE) - The Ultimate Menu vs. the Supreme Menu ala Shiro vs. his father Kaibara Yuzan in who can make the best salmon dish.
8. SEVENTH COURSE - SALMON MATCH (PART TWO) - The food battle heats up between Shiro and his father Kaibara on who can make the best salmon dish.
9. SEVENTH COURSE - SALMON MATCH (PART THREE) - Part three of the Salmon food battle between Shiro and his father Kaibara Yuzan.
10. EIGHTH COURSE - PLAYING AROUND WITH FOOD (PART ONE) - Shiro has lost his will to continue with the "Ultimate Menu".
11. EIGHTH COURSE - PLAYING AROUND WITH FOOD (PART TWO) - With Shiro not wanting to do the "Ultimate Menu" anymore, Yuko goes to the most unlikely person for help.

Also, included at the end of the main chapters is a "Notes on the Text" which explains certain panels and meaning of certain Japanese words.

JUDGMENT CALL:

I absolutely love "OISHINBO A la Carte". Any fans of Japanese cuisine can also read this manga and just be amazed of how enjoyable, how witty, how smart each story is written. Not only are the readers engrossed by the characters, especially the rivalry between Shiro and his father Kaibara Yuzan, you really learn about the Japanese perspective of cuisine and also preparation.

"OISHINBO A la Carte - Fish, Sushi & Sashimi" focuses on seafood this time around and there is no slowdown between the hostility between Shiro and his father. In fact, in this latest series, Kaibara tries to go for the jugular during a competition. But there are also dramatic chapters and most of all, relationship development between both Shiro and Yuko which fans of the manga series will definitely be happy about.

Also, included in this latest "OISHINBO A la Carte" is a author commentary by Tetsu Kariya and why he prefers friends catching the fish and him having nothing to do with it. I'm quite sure what Kariya writes, many others have probably been in his situation.

But overall, each volume of "OISHINBO A la Carte" has been magnificent and just an enjoyable manga series. I don't think there have been one chapter in any of the volumes that I found boring or not worth reading. And sure enough, this fourth release "OISHINBO A la Carte - Fish, Sushi & Sashimi" is highly recommended!

Aesop's fables all have important lessons to learn. The Tortoise and the Hare taught us that slow and steady wins the race. The Boy Who Cried Wolf taught us that if you cry for attention, help may not come when you really need it. The Ant and the Grasshopper taught us that hard work will prepare and protect us during hard times while idleness brings suffering.

Oishinbo is like a collection of modern-day fables, but instead of telling stories about a pair of animals, the stories center on the culinary arts. Some teach the subtleties of cooking, such as the freshness of fish. Others reach further to show us that labels don't matter; it is who we are that determines our worth.

In Oishinbo: Fish, Sushi & Sashimi, the Tozai News is attempting to create an Ultimate Menu in celebration of its 100th anniversary. The menu will be a collection of meals that truly embody Japanese culture. Journalist Yamaoka Shiro is generally lazy and unmotivated, but his refined palate and vast knowledge of food makes him an ideal candidate to find the perfect foods for the menu. He also has the guts to say something to a master chef when he doesn't believe a dish is as prime as it could be.

Most of the time, Yamaoka is right and teaches the masters a thing or two. Then again, even he occasionally needs to be the one learning a humbling lesson. While the reader learns about cooking techniques, there is always a subtle moral to enlighten them about life, self-confidence, and appreciating the simple pleasures in life. Who knew a little fish could bring so much joy to an old man?

Akira Hanasaki's artwork is very much a classical cartoon style, but the food is portrayed with fine detail, allowing the reader to see it all as Yamaoka does. Each story is short and simple, yet every one of them is complete and wholesome with characters coming out better in the end. There is something very satisfying in that. Plus the culinary knowledge gained is nothing to sneeze at. Oishinbo goes beyond the basics, granting insight rarely found in common cookbooks.

Oishinbo is a series appropriate for any reader. Whether they are a master chef or a kitchen disaster, anyone can learn from these books. Because each volume is filled with a variety of stories, it is very easy to read at a casual or swift pace. Read it however you like...it is a la carte after all.

Bon appetit!

-- Courtney Kraft

I like this series a lot. It teaches you little known things about these foods in a fun and interesting way.

I'm a sushi aficionado. I got hungry and drooled when I was reading that book. I learned something new. It got me wishing to travel to Japan to have great sushi. It's in very good English, so you can enjoy reading.